Pain
by Redmage2k
Summary: When Kensuke gets curious, Rei teaches him the truth about EVA.


(Authors note) Throughout the whole series, Kensuke never talked to Rei. I think they could have been cute together. Oh well, that's what fan fiction's for. Thanks to brindani for pre reading.  
  
Pain  
  
Aida Kensuke was desperate. His online friends were clamoring for more info on the Evangelions and the Angels, but he had nothing for them.  
He knew he had to get something new, and soon, lest his cyber compatriots rise up in arms. And by 'arms' I mean virus's, worms, logic bombs, and spambots. As Touji put it, "Dere's noting worse den de otaku scorned."  
Unfortunately, Kensuke's information gathering endeavors had hit a proverbial brick wall. NERV had installed a new system of ICE on their networks, and he had yet to break it. He had tried going to Shinji for more info but the pilot of Unit-01 refused to say anything. Ever since the Unit-03 incident he had regressed deeper into his shell, not wanting to even talk about the EVAs.  
After what had happened to Touji, he was reluctant to talk about the things that had caused him so much pain. Thanks to his prosthetic arm and leg, he would probably never play basketball again. The blow to the jock's ego had been tremendous.  
He didn't dare go to Asuka for any juicy tidbits, she'd probably kill him, or worse. That left only one person to ask.  
  
Ayanami Rei was alone. Not that that was unusual, she spent every lunch hour off in her own corner, reading. She was sitting in the shade, with her back to a tree. As Kensuke watched her, she flipped the pages in her book with a disturbingly regular rhythm, pausing only to take the occasional bite from her plain sandwich.  
Kensuke knew that it was dangerous, from what little Shinji had told him about Rei, he knew that she was privy to much more then the other pilots. Unfortunately, he also knew that talking to her about 'sensitive' issues was liable to catch the attention of NERV Section Two. Kensuke had been shaken down by those spooks once before and was in no hurry to repeat the experience. That was a risk he was willing to take.  
Finely, he got up the courage and walked over to her, his trusty laptop tucked under one arm and a dog-eared notepad in the other hand.  
"Uh... Hiya, Ayanami." He said, wondering what had possibly possessed him to do this.  
Rei ignored him for a few seconds before acknowledging his presence with a concise "Aida".  
'She said something. That's a good start,' He thought. His mind was racing for something else to say.  
"So, um, what are you reading?"  
"A book."  
'She's not making this very easy for me.' He thought.  
"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked.  
"You may sit where ever you wish."  
He quickly sat next to her and glanced at the cover of the book she was holding. Not wanting to lose his momentum, he spoke again.  
"Machiavelli, eh, isn't that a little bit above our grade level?"  
Rei was getting annoyed. Not angry, for it took a great deal more then one inquisitive otaku to bring about that reaction. Nonetheless, this exchange seemed to lack purpose. And nothing annoyed Rei more then something without purpose.  
"Why are you here, Aida?"  
"That's a rather philosophical question, isn't it?" Kensuke said, chuckling at his own joke. When Rei gave no reaction, he decided to cut straight to the chase.  
"Well, Ayanami, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the EVAs."  
"Much of that information is classified."  
"Oh, common, there must be something you can tell me! What was it like synching for the first time? Was it like logging onto a computer, or was it more of a passive thing? What's the dataflow rate between the pilot and EVA? Tell me anything!!!!"  
"You speak as if you know what EVA is." Her response left him speechless for a moment before he could respond. Rei was glad for the moments silence, it gave her the opportunity to consider what she was going to do about him. 'He is Ikari's friend.' she thought, 'I will not lie to him.'  
"Well, the EVAs are giant robots used to fight the angels. Everyone knows that."  
Rei put down her book and turned to face him. "You wish to know of EVA?" She asked.  
Kensuke nodded furiously.  
Rei pulled one of her blue forelocks away to reveal the mass of whitish scar tissue around her eye where her right eye socket had been pulverized during her brief sortie against the third angel, and later regenerated.  
"Do you see this pain? This pain is EVA."  
She then undid the bottom two buttons of her shirt and pulled the fabric aside a few inches to show him the puckered burn marks that ran all the way up her side from where the fifth angel's accelerated particle beam had struck her after her shield had given out. Kensuke's face flushed at the unexpected exposure, but soon turned pale as he saw the extent of the scarring.  
"And this pain, this is EVA too."  
She then pulled the collar of her shirt down over her left shoulder to show him the vicious burns where the ninth angel had dripped it's highly corrosive acid onto her EVA. The synchronization had caused the skin and flesh of her shoulder to be burned away down to the bone. Like everything else, however, it had grown back, leaving only scars.  
"This is EVA as well."  
She then showed him the knee brace she had been forced wear ever since Unit-03, under the control of the thirteenth angel, had landed on her, crushing her knee, grinding it into the ground.  
"This pain is EVA too, though the pain it caused to Shuzahara was far worse."  
She looked him straight in the eye, her blood-red eyes burning into his soul.  
"Have I told you enough of EVA?"  
Again, Kensuke was speechless. After a few moments he found his voice again but had only one question.  
"Why do you do it, Ayanami? If it causes you so much pain."  
"Because pain is preferable to a life without purpose."  
The bell rang at that moment, signaling the end of the lunch period. Wordlessly, Rei gathered her things and left. Kensuke slowly made his way back to class, considering Rei's words. He sat at his desk without saying a word. Touji was curious about his friend's unusual silence.  
"Hey, man, whad'd Ayanami say to ya?" He asked, absentmindedly scratching his prosthetic leg.  
Kensuke thought for a moment before answering.  
"I'm not exactly sure."  
"Whadever." Touji said, turning back to his candid ogling of Hikari.  
Kensuke went about the rest of his day confused. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he got the impression that he had been shown something that few people had ever seen.  
"Arigato, Rei." 


End file.
